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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Created in 1965, the federal Medicare program |
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provides health insurance coverage for more than 40 million |
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Americans; although most of those enrolled in Medicare are senior |
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citizens, approximately six million enrollees under the age of 65 |
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have qualified because of permanent and severe disability, such as |
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spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis, cardiovascular disease, |
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cancer, or other illness or disorder; and |
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WHEREAS, Despite the physical and financial hardships |
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wrought by these conditions and the fact that Social Security |
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Disability Insurance (SSDI) is designed for individuals with a work |
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history who paid into the social security system before the onset of |
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their disability, federal law mandates a 24-month waiting period |
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from the time a disabled individual first receives SSDI benefits to |
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the time Medicare coverage begins; a prerequisite to Medicare, the |
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SSDI program itself delays benefits for five months while the |
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person's disability is determined--effectively creating a 29-month |
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waiting period for Medicare; and |
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WHEREAS, This restriction affects a significant number of |
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Americans in need; as of January 2002, there were approximately 1.2 |
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million disabled individuals who qualified for SSDI and were |
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awaiting Medicare coverage, many of whom were unemployed because of |
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their disability; consequently, under these conditions, by the time |
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Medicare began, an estimated 77 percent of those individuals would |
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be poor or nearly poor, 45 percent would have incomes below the |
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federal poverty line, and close to 40 percent would be enrolled in |
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state Medicaid programs; and |
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WHEREAS, Furthermore, it has been estimated that as many as |
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one-third of the individuals currently awaiting coverage may be |
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uninsured and likely to incur significant medical care expenses |
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during the two-year waiting period, often with devastating |
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consequences; studies indicate that the uninsured are likely to |
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delay or forgo needed care, leading to worsening health and even |
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premature death, and the American Medical Association has |
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determined that death rates among SSDI recipients are highest in |
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the first 24 months of enrollment; and |
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WHEREAS, Eliminating the 24-month waiting period not only |
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would prevent worsening illness and disability for SSDI |
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beneficiaries, thereby reducing more costly future medical needs |
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and potential long-term reliance on public health care programs, |
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but could also save the Medicaid program as much as $4.3 billion at |
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2002 program levels, including nearly $1.8 billion in savings to |
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states and $2.5 billion in federal savings that would help offset a |
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substantial portion of the accompanying increase in Medicare |
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expenditures; and |
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WHEREAS, Recognizing the consequences of the waiting period |
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to those suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou |
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Gehrig's disease, the 106th United States Congress passed H.R. 5661 |
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in 2000 and eliminated the requirement for enrollees diagnosed with |
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the disease; in passing H.R. 5661, the congress acknowledged the |
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enormous difficulties faced by those diagnosed with severe |
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disabilities and established precedent for the exception to be |
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extended to all the disabled on the Medicare waiting list; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 80th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to enact |
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legislation to eliminate the 24-month Medicare waiting period for |
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participants in Social Security Disability Insurance; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, the |
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speaker of the house of representatives and the president of the |
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senate of the United States Congress, and all the members of the |
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Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this |
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resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a |
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memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |